Day 26/64 🥾Te Araroa Trail - The South Island 🇳🇿
📍Supported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ℹ️Stats: Boyle to Arthur’s Pass - Friday 26th January
Weather: hot & sunny ☀️
From: Boyle Outdoor Educational Centre
Start time: 8am
To: Hope Kiwi Lodge (really nice - separate dorm rooms)
End time: 4pm
Accommodation: mattress, bunk room.
Terrain: a few river crossings, flat grassy sections, nice track through the forest 🌳
🥾Km: 18.2
🦶Steps: 23,385
Total Km: 2114/3028 = 70% ✅
💰Costs: $0
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fatigue: 5/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10
⭐️Highlights: reaching the hut - really chilled vibe. Nice to lie down and stretch out my back. I’m looking forward to the next few days.
🏔️Challenges: the sandflies - omg - they love me and once they bite - all I want to do is itch!!!
💭Thoughts: struggling a bit with food. I’m bored of it all and really not interested in eating anymore tuna, oats or nuts. Which isn’t great as that’s the food I’ve got for the next few days!!
Day 27/64 🥾Te Araroa Trail - The South Island 🇳🇿
📍Supported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ℹ️Stats: Boyle to Arthur’s Pass - Saturday 27th January
Weather: so much rain in the am 🌧️🌧️🌧️ - sunshine in the afternoon
From: Hope Kiwi Hut - 2114km
Start time: 8.40am - left later due to the rain
To: Hurunui Hut
End time: 2pm
Accommodation: mattress in the hut.
Terrain: open cattle flats, 2 swing bridges, forests.
🥾Km: 12.6
🦶Steps: 16,191
Total Km: 2131.5/3028 = 70% ✅
💰Costs: $0 🥳
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 6/10 - lots of rooty forests
Fatigue: 6/10 - feel super tired and ready to stop at the first hut
Ease of terrain: 6/10 - some tougher sections - especially through the forest. Lots of trees down and some part navigation was hard.
⭐️Highlights: reaching the hut!
🏔️Challenges: Sandflies are just ahhhhh I’ve itched the skin around my ankle red raw.
💭Thoughts: the river is high at the moment - so no point going further on. Chill here for the afternoon and it gives the rivers more time to go down.
Day 28/64 🥾Te Araroa Trail - The South Island 🇳🇿
📍Supported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ℹ️Stats: Boyle to Arthur’s Pass - Sunday 28th January
Weather: dry - light rain and a bit of sunshine
From: Hurunui Hut
Start time: 8am
To: Locke Stream Hut
End time: 5pm
Accommodation: middle bunk - triple bunk bed
Terrain: rivers, forests, mud, water, roots, steep little inclines and descents
🥾Km: 16.3
🦶Steps: 20,901
Total Km: 2157/3028
💰Costs: $0
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 6/10
Fatigue: 6/10 - probably linked to food. Im not eating enough.
Ease of terrain: 9/10 - a really tough day
⭐️Highlights: getting to the hut - it was such a tough, long day. Ready for bed and to read my book.
🏔️Challenges: fell/slipped 3x forest, river & mud. The sandflies - I feel they are biting me through my sleeping bag. I wake up in the middle of the night to itch!! The hut also has a sign warning about rats 🐀 👍
💭Thoughts: 3 more days on this stretch… or I can break at Morrison bridge and hitch a ride to town - Arthur’s Pass. Get some resupply - have some wifi and a proper meal 🍽️ !
Day 29/64 🥾Te Araroa Trail - The South Island 🇳🇿
📍Supported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ℹ️Stats: Monday 29th January
Weather: hot & sunny ☀️
From: Locke Stream Hut
Start time: 8.30am
To: Arthur’s Pass
End time: 3.20pm finished at the road, 4.10 checked into the accommodation - Mountain House (right next to the store)
Accommodation: Dorm room - bottom bunk
Terrain: forests, rivers, big stones, little stones, mud, roots, grassy plains
People: Pierre (🇫🇷), Elliot (🇳🇿), Yale & Mark (🇫🇷).
🥾Km: 14.1
🦶Steps: 18,134
Hitch 🙏 into Arthur’s Pass with Elliot (🇳🇿).
Total Km: 2202*/3028 *off trail - but closest next point = 73% ✅
💰Costs: $40 accommodation mountain house dorm
$3.80 ice lolly
$24 bacon, cheese, 6 eggs
$24 coke, gf chicken burger & chips
Total $91.80
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fatigue: 7/10
Ease of terrain: 7/10
⭐️Highlights: so pleased to reached Morrison Bridge and hitch into town. Made it 20 mins before the shop shut. Managed to buy a little bit of food / but didn’t want to do a full shop, as I was hungry and would make bad decisions. So I’ll buy more food tomorrow when it opens at 8am
🏔️Challenges: went off course and ended up crossing more rivers than I wanted to! Eventually got back on trail. It was through the forest with lots of steep ups and downs.
💭Thoughts: I don’t know whether to go back to Morrison bridge tomorrow and do the next 2 day section (9hr walking up a river bed and then better trail) or hitch the 12 km to the start of the next section….. and forget about Deception Track. I’ll made a decision in the morning! Checkout by 10am - so I have time.
Day 30/64 🥾Te Araroa Trail - The South Island 🇳🇿
📍Supported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ℹ️Stats: Deception Track - Tuesday 30th January
Weather: hot & sunny ☀️
From: Morrison Bridge
Start time: 11.08am
To: Goat Pass Hut
End time: 6.15pm
Accommodation: Hut - bottom bunk
Terrain: very rocky, multiple river crossing, sometimes hard to navigate. Rock scrambling & rock hopping on both wet & dry rocks.
🥾Km: 8.3
🦶Steps: 10,707
Hitch back to Morrison bridge - Steve 🙏
Total Km: 2192/3028 = 72% ✅
💰Costs: $53.60 - 4 OSM bars, 2x chocolate bars, sweets, rice crackers, pain killers.
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10 - really gorgeous day!
Fatigue: 5/10
Ease of terrain: 8/10
⭐️Highlights: walking up the waterfall at the end of the day. Very cool rock scrambling. The tramping was hard going. But also what you’d expect.
🏔️Challenges: some people in the huts are so rude. This one family group - basically looked at me as if I was ruining their family holiday by showing up. I said hi - when I arrived. Nothing!! Then she started giving me dirty looks! So rude! Like Wtf! Sorry for taking up a bed in a 16 bed hut.
💭Thoughts: I don’t know what’s harder a fastish thru-hike or a take your time longer thru-hike. Both have pros and cons - and both are hard. This is going to be such a push for me to finish the trail by the beginning of March.